Maj Toure, founder of the pro-Second Amendment movement “Black Guns Matter,” has a plan to end gun violence in poor black neighborhoods; give more guns to poor black youths. Toure is now 29 years old and spent his youth growing up in poor neighborhoods in Philadelphia. He witnessed gun violence first-hand and lost many friends and family to gun-toting thugs. Despite these experiences he is now a proud card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). He learned to respect guns the “hard way” and is now on a mission to educate young black men so that they don’t need to do the same. He claims that the gun violence in poor neighborhoods isn’t caused by guns, but by a lack on knowledge on the safe handling and the inability of young men to carry a weapon without being labeled a “bad guy”

Toure admits to carrying an illegal gun when he was as young as 15. He states gang-violence runs rampant in these neighborhoods and that “staying strapped” was the only way to defend yourself if you were targeted. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult for young black men to obtain concealed carry licenses. This leads them to carrying illegal guns to keep themselves alive which, in turn, leads to arrests for carrying unlawful weapons. He claims that several young men end up with felony charges for simply trying to defend themselves from drug dealers and gang members.

Toure is setting out to change the narrative that any young black man carrying a gun is a criminal. He wants to give these young men access to weapons so that they can legally defend themselves against the criminals that will arm themselves regardless of whether or not it is illegal for them to do so. He claims that there’s no difference between white gun culture and black gun culture. If you’re an American citizen you have a right to exercise your Second Amendment rights regardless of skin color.

Listen to Toure speak about his movement with Fox News below:

Toure is changing this perception by educating young black men on gun safety and teaching them how they can obtain licenses to carry legally. He said in an interview with Fusion:

“I was 15, walking around with a gun I had no idea how to use and no real respect for, In hindsight, I wish there would have been somebody to say, ‘Hey, this is a firearm, it’s not a game.’ So when I’m seeing other people living out the same scenario, I want to be that adult teaching them properly.”

Allowing these young men to defend themselves would reduce the “easy target” effect where criminals target citizens they know will not be armed. He also believes that allowing young black men to legally carry they will be less likely to be charged with illegal weapons charges and will therefore increase their chances of landing a “good job” in the future. He claims many young men have had their futures snatched from them for simply trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights and that educating them on how to do so legally is the first step for a better future.